Jordan outlaws ‘gay and satanic’ Halloween
By Josh Haggis
Jordan has banned citizens from taking part in Halloween celebrations this year after Muslim extremists in the Arab nation labelled the festival “gay and satanic”.
The country’s Interior Ministry announced that all activities associated with Halloween have been outlawed, in an effort to prevent a repeat of the rioting that has occurred in the city of Amman for the past two years running.
An Interior Ministry spokesperson said the government had taken the decision to ban the festival after receiving a number of requests to hold celebrations, reports Al Ghad.
Last year, a cafe in the city of Amman was burned down over Halloween by extremist group the Muslim Brotherhood, after they accused those inside of performing “homosexual and satanic” rituals.
In a statement made on their website following the attack, the group explained: “We watched with disgust and shame last night homosexual and Satanic rituals in an Amman cafe. This presents a challenge to the values of the Jordanian people and their Arab and Muslim identity, as well as a violation of religious laws.”
Although Jordan is one of the few Arab states where homosexuality is legal, discrimination and harassment of the LGBT community is commonplace in the conservative country.
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